Game 3: WBS 5, Providence 4 (2OT) 5/14

May 14th, 2014

Three games in and this has already been one hell of a series.

In Game 1, you have a Providence blowout. In Game 2, you had a Penguins blowout. In Game 3, you had both. Then Simon Despres scored 6:32 into overtime to give the Penguins a 5-4 win and a 2-1 lead in the series. Game 4 is Friday.

First, some detail on the overtime winner.

Brendan Mikkelson took a shot from the left wing. The rebound caromed over to Despres near the right half-wall. Goalie Niklas Svedberg was slow to react to the change in direction — Was he held up? Did he not know where the puck was? I’m not sure — and Despres shot into an essentially empty cage. Despres said the puck was rolling, so all he did was whip it toward the net and hope for a bounce. He got one.

The WBS Penguins have played five multiple overtime games in team history. Despres has won two of them, also scored in the second overtime in Game 5 of a second-round series with St. John’s two years ago. The other winning goal scorers in the multiple OT games were Alexandre Mathieu vs. Hershey in 2011, Colby Armstrong vs. Binghamton in 2005 and Alexandre Giroux for Hershey in 2007.

Coach John Hynes said something interesting about Despres’ penchant for scoring double OT goals. He said he’s the kind of defenseman who wants to make a big play. Sometimes that gets him into trouble and sometimes it works out exactly as he planned.

There were tons of other twists and turns in overtime — a Tom Kostopoulos slashing call, an Adam Payerl shorthanded breakaway that Svedberg stopped — but the major momentum swings happened in regulation.

Chuck Kobasew scored to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. Because that’s what he does. He has at least one goal in 14 of his 19 games in a WBS uniform. Remarkable.

Then the first major momentum swing. A roughing call behind the play on Harrison Ruopp and a Seth Griffith power-play goal to tie it. Then former Penguins defenseman Joe Morrow picked up a rebound, danced up the left wing and got a backhand shot past Peter Mannino. Great individual effort.

Intermission didn’t slow the P-Bruins. Blake Parlett scored from the blue line 15 seconds into the third and Alexander Khokhlachev tipped in a Mike Moore shot from the point 51 seconds later. It was 4-1 Providence and Hynes said the Penguins were skating in mud.

Unexpectedly, the momentum swung dramatically in favor of the Penguins after defenseman Chris Casto was called for tripping at 7:31 of the third period.

Tom Kostopoulos tipped in a Mikkelson shot six seconds into the power play. Despres scored on a shot from the right point past a Zach Sill screen at 12:10. Brian Dumoulin bulled his way down the right wing and sent a centering pass to the front of the net, where Conor Sheary lifted it over Svedberg to tie the score 4-4 at 14:09.

A stunning comeback and a great game for the speedy Sheary, who had a goal and two assists.

Michael Cignoli and I talked on the most recent Penguins Pit podcast about whether momentum can carry over in a series from game to game. We agreed that it’s pretty rare, but this might end up being one of those cases. Blow a three-goal lead with 13 minutes left and lose in double overtime? It will take remarkable mental toughness for Providence to come back from that.

Two personnel notes before I go. Ruopp was in the game for Scott Harrington, who is day to day with a lower-body injury. Also, Hynes said he’ll be able to say if the organization plans to send Brian Gibbons down tomorrow. So stay tuned for that.

Quick question for the veterans around here. Would Hynes be a good fit for Pittsburgh when/if Bylsma gets canned? I am just perplexed at the difference in the level of engagement and passion on the ice between the two teams in the playoffs. While Bylsma is not doing line adjusments in or before games, I see Hynes doing a whole lot more game-planing versus his opponent in the playoffs. Again, I haven’t seen a lot of AHL playoff hockey over the years so please correct me if I am wrong.

Secondly. Hynes seem to get some people in the right place on the ice (read Despres and Kobasew) although I do understand the huge difference in competition level between NHL/AHL but I can’t shake the feeling that Hynes do a lot more adjusting to individual players rather than putting blind faith into a system that is easily disrupted.

Thirdly. Will Crosby/Malkin respect someone like Hynes? It feels like they need a coach who has been a superstar and lived the battles on the ice, winning Game 7s and Cup’s along with having the intangibles off the ice. Bylsma won and played the game but the team just seem so lacadaisical to his voice now that it is time to move on from Bylsma so therefore I am wondering if the Pens will keep their tradition of promoting from within. I also feel like Nasreddine would be the next greta head coach of WBS.

Frankie2003

I don’t think Hynes is going to be considered due to exactly what you said, lack of experience managing big stars. He is going to make an amazing head coach in the NHL and my guess would be it’s sooner than later

CyGuy

If Shero stays, Hynes might have a slim chance. However, if Shero
stays, he is highly unlikely to be unfettered — the owners will likely
want someone who already has NHL credentials. I have seen Mike Keenan’s name mentioned. Nonetheless, John Hynes is one of the finest coaches we have had and he will be fine in the NHL, possibly soon. Hynes’ gain will be our loss.

disgrunteledpensfan

Think Ebbett will be ready for Friday? Any guesses as to where Gibbons slides in?

Frankie2003

Team needs to come out strong and crush any life providence has left. Also, anyone else think we may see Subban start game 4??

Brenda Gist

OMG Can you imagine Gibbons Sheary and Megna on a line together! WOW!!!!

CanyonVR

Hynes has been a great development coach and he has worked well with veteran NHL players (Kobasew for example). If I remember correctly he also passed up a chance to coach at one of the Boston colleges to stay with the Pens organization… That said, if someone is hired outside the organization I imagine he would be a bit …perturbed.

But, even if Shero goes, Coach Hynes has produced and his accomplishments should allow him to be seen clearly outside of Shero’s shadow.

One way or another I bet Coach Hynes will be moving on…maybe not this year but soon.

Unico16

God no, not Keenan! I feel a somewhat stricter regiment is in place but Keenan is just a retread in my opinion…

A winner of first-place honors in the blogging category of the 2012 Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors awards, Penguins Insider was created to give local hockey fans an interactive, in-depth way to follow the team they so passionately support. The blog's author, beat writer Jonathan Bombulie, has been covering the team since its inception in 1999. Contact him at jbombulie@aol.com

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